Tides of Passion
by buongiorno
Summary: Song fic. Balthier has had many loves within his life, not all being human. Rated M for language, drug use, sexual themes. I'm horrible at summaries, I know.


**A/N:** This fic has been kicking my butt for almost two days. I had no idea where I wanted to go with it. I heard this song and was like "OMGG I NEED TO MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF IT!" I've found a new love for FFXII, soo.. hence why this fic was born :]!

[lolzwords8V!] = Balthier's thoughts.

**Disclaimer: FFXII is owned by Square Enix, not me. This fic is purely for entertainment. I make no money from it's publication.**

**The song "Day & Night" is owned by Kid CuDi, not me. I like it a lot, though :3**

* * *

_Day 'n' night.  
__I toss and turn, I keep stressin' my mind, mind.  
__I look for peace, but see I don't attain.  
__What I need for keeps this silly game we play, play._

His eyes shot open.

[It looks as if it'll be another sleepless night.]

The man of twenty-two swung his legs over the side of his bed and rubbed his eyes. In the corner of the tight room, hanging on a coat rack was his highly detailed vest. Against the base lay a gun, a Fomalhaut. His eyes skimmed over the articles, his mind beginning to form a possible action. Maybe a late-night hunt would ease his mind.

His eyes moved to the clock beside his bed, which read three in the morning.

[Two hours of sleep.]

_Now look at this.  
__Madness the magnet keeps attracting me, me.  
__I try to run, but see I'm not that fast.  
__I think I'm first but surely finish last, last._

He rose from the bed and grabbed his gun. His shirt danced a long with his actions, spreading out as he walked. Out to the corridor he went, mindful not to wake his fellow companions. They were stationed in the Tchita Uplands for the night, having spent a whole lot of the day searching for the Lindwyrm. With no luck, and the day drawing to a close, Basch had suggested they lower the anchor of the Strahl and sleep here. Most of the others agreed with his suggestion, aside from Balthier. He had been uneasy about the whole hunt, having a fear of Wyrms and such creatures. Yet, now he found himself sliding down the anchor to wander the Uplands on his own. In the dead of night.

_'Cause day 'n' night,  
__the lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night.  
__He's all alone through the day 'n' night.  
__The lonely loner seems to free his mind at night, ah ah at night._

He had to admit he somewhat enjoyed the time by himself. It gave him some time to think and not have a random set of eyes piercing holes in his back. He aimed his gun at a serpent slowly slithering through the low grass.

"Boom!"

The shell of a Wyrmfire Shot blew up around the serpent, encasing it within a grand fire. The other creatures wandering around the Uplands stopped and looked, but quickly went back to their business. Once the fire had died, Balthier went over to claim his reward. He pulled a knife out of his pocket, ready to skin the damned thing, when his eyes caught something lying on the ground. He kneeled down to inspect the lone article.

"Look at that," he said to himself. "A dime bag."

He inspected it further.

"And it's full..."

Almost instantly a wave of temptation washed over him. He'd not smoked _anything_ in years. There was simply no reason to. His relationship with Fran was more than amazing, and his career as a sky pirate couldn't be better. He and Fran were literally rolling in riches. However, since they'd met Vaan and the others, their relationship had begun to falter. She always seemed so bothered by anything he did or said. Balthier knew Fran hated large groups of people. Yet, he didn't think it would affect her the way it did.

_Day 'n' night.  
__The lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night.  
__He's all alone, some things will never change.  
__The lonely loner seems to free his mind at night, ah ah at night._

In the beginning it didn't seem so bad. She would still sneak into his chambers and have her way with him. Some nights he was awake, and others he would wake up to her lips around his...

_Hold the phone.  
__The lonely stoner, Mr. Solo Doe Low.  
__He's on the move, can't seem to shake the shade.  
__Within his dreams he sees the life he made.  
__Made._

A sudden pain in his chest. He clutched the small bag and rose, holding his chest with his other hand. Balthier's eyes went back to the serpent, it's skin severely charred by the Wyrmfire Shot's power. It was of no use to skin. He slowly slid the knife back into his pocket. To gut maybe, but he didn't feel like staying outside any longer. The Lindwyrm was still wandering about the Uplands somewhere. His gun wouldn't be enough to take it down if he stumbled upon it.

_The pain is deep.  
__A silent sleeper you won't hear a peep, peep.  
__The girl he wants don't seem to want him too.  
__It seems the feelings that she had are through.  
__Through._

He hauled his gun onto his back and clutched the rope, holding the small bag between his teeth. As he climbed he thought of where he had put his old pipe, or if he even still had it. Balthier hadn't smoked since his teenage days, the stress from his father and being a Judge proving to get the best of him.

He was weak, he knew this. It was probably that very flaw that made Fran so easy to get along with. She liked having control of most things, and he easily caved. His backbone was a soft one, if he even had one at all. Balthier had doubted it's existence many times.

Once back inside the Strahl, Balthier quietly headed to his room. He rummaged through his drawers as soundlessly as he could. Curses slipped past his lips as the taste of the grassy substance hit his tongue. Maybe it would be best to take the bag out of his mouth before he ended up eating the contents.

_'Cause day 'n' night,  
__the lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night.  
__He's all alone through the day 'n' night.  
__The lonely loner seems to free his mind at night, ah ah at night._

With success in his grasp, he picked the bag up from the top of the counter and set himself down on his bed. His heart beat rapidly within his chest like a tribal drum. It was like his first time all over again. As soon as he cracked the bag open, the sweet aroma of the grass flooded his nostrils. He held it to his face, taking more of the smell in.

"This is ridiculous." He laughed at himself. "I feel as if I'm sixteen again."

_Day 'n' night.  
__The lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night.  
__He's all alone, some things will never change.  
__The lonely loner seems to free his mind at night, ah ah at night._

Smiling, he packed the pipe with the bag's contents. Holding it to his lips, Balthier pulled a lighter out of his side pocket. The flame met the grass, and he inhaled.

Soothed, relaxed, dizzy. All these and more he felt as he held the smoke within his mouth, savoring the taste and effect. Removing the pipe from his lips, he lifted his head up and exhaled. He stayed still for what felt like an eternity, letting the first effects of the chemicals from the grass find their way into his blood. His heart didn't beat so rapidly anymore. He'd almost forgotten about his entire reasoning at this point. The pipe rested between his lips once more.

_Slow mo.  
__When the tempo slows up and creates that new, new.  
__He seems alive, though he is feelin' blue.  
__The sun is shinin', man he's super cool.  
__Cool._

His mind became more fogged with each inhalation, and soon he found himself laughing at things he normally would disregard. He thought of Fran and laughed at the whole situation between himself and the Viera. He thought of Basch and laughed at how the ex-Captain hopelessly chased after a girl seventeen years his minor. Then he though of that minor, and how delicious her body would look beneath his grasp, fully on display for him. Of course he would have to tape her mouth shut. Her voice irritated him more than Fran's nails across a chalkboard.

His vision was the next thing that went, and soon the room was spinning. He sat up off his bed, pipe now within his hands, and clumsily went for the door. He tripped and smacked his head against the frame. A bubbling laughter escaped his lips.

_The lonely nights, they fade away he slips into his white Nikes.  
__He smokes a clip and then he's on the way,  
__To free his mind in search of...  
__To free his mind in search of...  
__To free his mind in search of..._

Fran stirs within her chambers. She'd been awake since Balthier reentered the ship, trying to fall back asleep to no avail. The idiotic laughter she heard coming from down the hall was beginning to annoy her. She figured it must be Vaan. Balthier liked his beauty sleep. Sometimes a bit too much. She then shifted onto her side. Her stomach began to turn. The images of their past together began to gather in her mind.

"Bam!"

She jumped at the noise. Whoever was down the hall had just landed face first onto the hard, aluminum flooring of the Strahl's corridor. Laughter followed the noise, and she balled her hands into fists. This mystery person was about to have their eyes clawed out, Viera style. It was four-thirty in the damned morning. The sun wouldn't be up for another hour.

Fran pushed herself off her bed and covered herself with a nightgown. It was short on her, since it was designed for that of a hume's body. Viera had long torsos and even longer limbs. It barely covered her privates, though at the moment that was the lesser of her concerns.

_Day 'n' night.  
__The lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night.  
__He's all alone, some things will never change.  
__The lonely loner seems to free his mind at night, ah ah at night._

Balthier picked himself up off the floor, a smug grin hanging on his lips. He took another hit from his pipe and walked closer to his destination.

Fran tied her hair up before leaving her room. She'd want the bastard to be able to see her face clearly before gouging their eyes out. She opened the door, and headed up the hall to the corridor.

He turned the corner into the hall, and his eyes met with hers. They were fierce, even with his impaired vision he could see that. Balthier let a wall be his support as he studied his partner. The pipe was to his lips again.

The Viera smelt something as soon as Balthier came into view. Drugs, no doubt. She knew of his drug use during his younger days. She couldn't believe that he was using again. He was a mess. Her mouth struggled to form words.

"Why..?" It was all she could say.

He inched closer to her.

She inched closer away.

"Don't run away, now, love!" He exhaled.

But she couldn't fight it. She hated seeing him so far gone like this. The night they had met he had just came down from a high, and he was a mess. He cried into her chest, and later they found themselves tangled up in bed. Fran pitied him. She didn't know what else could be done to help the young boy.

"Boy..."

The memories came. Painfully, she looked into Balthier's eyes. She studied his face, the face that had changed so rapidly within their four years together. He'd literally evolved from a child into a man. Almost every trace of that baby face Balthier once possessed was gone. And it was all right in front of her. She'd hardly changed at all in these four years, and Balthier was now a completely different person.

"Boy, what?" He took another hit and collapsed against the wall again.

"You were a boy when I met you."

"I still am one! Well, last time I checked, at least." Balthier chuckled and groped his crotch.

"No...I mean that you are a man, now. There's no need..." Her voice trailed off. Balthier's brows shifted.

"For this?" He held up his pipe. "You don't honestly think I bought this shit, do you?"

She looked up. He was stealing drugs, now? How many nights has he done this without her knowledge? She had picked this boy up from the ground and set him straight. _Now_ he was going back?

"I found it outside," he explained. "I couldn't sleep. I haven't been able to sleep well in a long while." He eyed her, the pipe dangling from his mouth. "You'll never guess why."

Fran grabbed for her gown. She fumbled around with it nervously within her hands. Should she tell him? No, not tonight. Another night would be far better than this.

Deep within thought, Fran had failed to notice Balthier march straight up to her. His pipe was held within his fingers, and his eyes were filled with longing.

"_I miss you,_ Fran. I miss you surprising me at night." He turned from her and exhaled. Her nose twitched at the smell. "I miss waking up to those _small, plump lips _struggling to fit around my girth." A hand had cupped the Viera's chin. His voice had become a husky whisper. "I miss _us_, Fran."

She wanted to tell him the reason why she'd stopped seeing him, why she had become so cold to him all of a sudden, but she couldn't. Not at this moment. Fran simply took him into her mouth, her tongue begging for entrance. It was granted, and soon enough Balthier was pinned against the wall. She nipped at his lips and kissed down his neck. She sucked at where his neck and chest met, rousing a low moan from the male sky pirate.

"Fran... Why do this to me now?"

She stopped.

"Are you doing it to appease me?"

Fran lifted her head. A hand fell to her stomach; it had began to turn again. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and took small nips at his skin.

She had to tell him.

There was no way around it.

Fran grabbed one of Balthier's hands and rested it on top of her own. He looked a bit confused by her action. She feigned a smile. Leaning against him, she wrapped her free arm around his neck and whispered something into his ear as the tears began welt up in her eyes. It was in her native tongue.

He understood clearly what she said.

"Fran..?"

Looking down at her, a searing pain shot across his chest. She was crying on him. Memories of the night they had met flashed through his mind, the drugs' effect beginning to lessen.

"Balthier..." she whispered. The tears came harder.

Her voice pained him. This wasn't the Fran he had fallen in love with. The one he loved was a strong woman, one who faced every problem head on. This one was nice, too. Yet it scared him. He pushed her further into his chest and kissed her head.

"Fran, stop." He tried his hand at soothing her. "I'm not mad. Not in the least."

She looked up at him. Her eyes burned a hole through his soul. They always did.

"I figured you would be."

"How can I be mad at something like that? It's not solely your fault, is it?"

She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. She ran her hands over her face and chuckled. Balthier smiled in response.

"No, I guess it isn't."

"Good. Glad we're on the same page." He scooped her up into his arms. Fran jumped and latched onto his neck for dear life. "Whoa, careful now!"

He kissed her cheek.

"I'm not quite sure about you, but I'm in the mood for a victory celebration."

An unfamiliar warmth stretched across Fran's face. This was usually _her_ job. _She_ was the one who usually made Balthier blush and fall to pieces in her arms. _She_ was the one with the backbone. Fran buried her head in the crook of his neck again. Her response was a low one, but he still heard it. His face lit up, and he brought them both back into _his_ chambers.

~ * ~ * ~

The next morning seemed a slow, yet rushed one. The two had slept until about eleven, eventually woken up by Ashe's irritating voice and Basch's trying to quiet her. Penelo and Vaan were bubbling about something the Gods only knew, with those two being teenagers and all.

As soon as Fran and Balthier had exited out into the corridor, there was a dead silence. All four of their companions turned toward them. Balthier winced.

"Is it something new to you that Fran and I are more than partners?" Balthier stretched, and Fran played with her nightgown. She was smiling and looking toward the ground.

"Well, not up until this morning." Penelo had a small stick in her hand. Fran's eyes locked onto it.

"Ashe discovered it this morning when she went to shower." Basch had stepped forward.

"To be honest, we all thought it wasn't even possible!" Penelo smiled and rubbed the back of her head. Balthier sighed.

So the whole crew knew him and Fran were expecting. He turned to Fran and smirked.

"Good thing you told me when you did, eh?"

A blush rose to her cheeks, and Fran hugged Balthier from behind.

~Fin.

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**A/N:** Omnomnom. How was it? Hope it wasn't too much of a cheesy ending.

Reviews would be helpful and much appreciated ! :3


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